LOS LUNAS, N.M. (January 30, 2026) – The David Martinez era started off with a bang as Angelina Arriaga hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning and Jessica Cantrell pitched a four-hit, complete-game shutout featuring 10 strikeouts in a 4-0 season-opening victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Then in the night-cap, UTPB scored first but was unable to keep it going, falling 18-4 in six innings against the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

The new season for the Falcons begins in Los Lunas, New Mexico, at the Fifth Annual South Central Crossover at the Los Lunas Sports Complex. This opening series serves as an important foundation for the Falcons under Coach Martinez.
 
Game 1 (UTPB 4, SOSU 0):

• Arriaga hit a solo home run to center field with one out in the top of the second inning to open the scoring.
• Cantrell (1-0) struck out the side swinging in a 1-2-3 bottom of the first inning, again struck out the side in the second inning, pitched two more 1-2-3 innings in the third and sixth innings, and reached the double-digit strikeout mark to strand two runners in scoring position and end the game in the bottom of the seventh.
• Cantrell faced 23 hitters in total, faced just three hitters in four of the seven innings, and finished with a line of four hits, no runs and no walks allowed.
• It was the 12th complete game and second 10-strikeout shutout of Cantrell's career so far after also doing so as a freshman last season in a 7-0 win in UTPB's season opener vs. Schreiner University.
• UTPB finished off the scoring with three runs in the fourth inning, which started with a triple to center by Carlee Quintero followed by an RBI-double to center by Gabriella Cabrera to make the score 2-0. The inning then finished with a two-run single through the left side by Keri Sanford.
• Sanford led the way with a 3-for-4 effort from the top spot in the lineup while Quintero was 2-for-3.

 
Game 2 (UTPB 18, UCCS 4):

• With UCCS coming directly off a game that lasted for over three hours and saw the Mountain Lions win 15-13 over Sul Ross State University, UTPB was able to strike first in the bottom of the first. The Falcons loaded the bases with one out, and then it was again Arriaga opening up the scoring, this time with a two-out, two-run single to center field.
• Unfortunately, this was also a long game as UCCS bounced back with a three-run top of the second inning, scoring all three runs with two outs in the inning and taking advantage of some shaky defense on the part of the Falcons to take a 3-2 lead with a trio of unearned runs. The Mountain Lions then added three more runs in the third inning.
• With another bomb to center field to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning, Arriaga hit her second home run of the day, making it a 6-3 Falcons' deficit.
• From there, however, UCCS was able to put the game away in six innings. The Mountain Lions scored at least three runs in four innings, including a nine-run top of the sixth inning that came on six hits. The Mountain Lions' offense went ballistic in the top of the sixth frame as they sent 12 hitters to plate and strung together six hits, two walks, and an error to plate nine runs for an 18-4 advantage.
• The Mountain Lions continued their hot hitting in the second game of Friday's doubleheader as they scored 18 runs on 17 hits and eight walks while striking out just two times.
• Arriaga accounted for two of UTPB's four hits and totaled three RBI's. She was a combined 3-for-6 with two home runs, four RBI's and two runs scored during the first two games of the season.
• Sanford walked three times and did not record an official at bat.

Coach's Quote:

• New UTPB Head Softball Coach David Martinez said, "I am honestly really pleased with how we played today. The first game was really good, and seeing them so excited was rewarding. Everyone was excited for opening day and competed from the first pitch. Lina and Jessica obviously had very good days, but so did Carlee, Keri, and pretty much everybody else. Ultimately, I was proud of the way the team competed. That was the biggest thing today was that we competed. They showed fight in both games. The score of game two was not indicative of our fight. It was cold weather, 35 degrees, and we did not start the game until after 7 o'clock, but we truly competed until the end. Laila Vasquez threw well; she just had a couple of miscues towards the end of her outing. I look forward to the team learning from this loss and bouncing back tomorrow."

Next Up: The Falcons will return for day two of the South Central Regional Tournament on Saturday, January 31, to play New Mexico Highlands University (3 p.m. MT/4 p.m. CT) and Adams State University (5:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. CT).